Secrets
by xXdiamondwolf027Xx
Summary: Kerry finds out many things about people close to her that she couldn't even dream of happening. [Companions of the Night] Read and REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I do not own any of the original characters of Companions of the Night. (darn...)

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_Chapter I_

Kerry sat down in her room. She was sharing a dormitory with a girl whose boyfriend was at their door constantly, and, to be honest, it was getting on Kerry's nerves. The guy was there nonstop! Kerry had to admit, though, he was rather cute. His name was Sebastian, known to his friends as Seb. His dark hair set off his light skin nicely and he had amazing lively green eyes. When he first knocked at her door asking for Elizabeth (who would rather be known as Beth), she was shocked almost to speechlessness. But then Kerry noticed how he was always there and it started to annoy her. As of late, every time she heard the knock on hers and Beth's door, she just opened it and pointed to wherever Beth was waiting for him.

Kerry was sitting at her desk typing away at her computer for a paper in one of her classes. It was a very important paper that made up a huge chunk of her grade so she was sitting there concentrating very hard on how to go about explaining the next portion when she heard a knock at the door of her room. Beth waltzed in and told her that she and Sebastian were going out with some of his friends and does Kerry want to go too? Kerry shook her head and said she has to work on this paper. Beth just shrugged and walked out. The door closed after her ten minutes later.

A couple of hours later found Kerry still at her computer. It was five pm and snow was blanketing the area. Kerry looked at her window and saw a wall of snow preventing her from seeing clearly past it. She got a sudden chill and grabbed a thick sweatshirt out of her closet and pulled it on. Turning back to her computer, Kerry realized that she only needed to conclude her paper and decided to finish it after a quick bathroom break. She saved her document and walked to the bathroom.

When she walked out, Kerry noticed almost immediately that something was wrong. She couldn't exactly explain it, but there was this feeling that something was different. She walked through her room and couldn't see anything different than how she left it. Then she made her way over to the living area where she sat and watched TV and it was as messy there as it ever was. The kitchen was fine. The door to Beth's room was open, though. _Beth might just have left it open._ Kerry somehow knew that this wasn't right. Beth _always_ closed her door when she left and forbade Kerry to ever enter. _Just a small peek, then, _thought Kerry. When she opened the door further, she was amazed, and just a little bit horrified, at what she found.

Beth's walls were covered in many different pictures and diagrams. All were about how to kill a vampire. There were charts that showed what did and didn't effect a vampire and if it did, how. There were books littered all on the floor about how best to kill a vampire. Some of the pictures they were open to were just too graphic for Kerry to handle. She walked out and left the door just as she found it, hoping that Beth wouldn't notice. Kerry heard the key being fitted into the lock of their door and knew that Beth was back. Quickly, she headed back into her room. She closed her door quietly just as the door to the dormitory opened and more than one person walked in. It clicked shut. Kerry breathed a small sigh of relief. The other people must be Beth and Seb's friends, which wasn't surprising. Kerry got back to working on her paper, attempting to distract herself from her discoveries.

Just as she began typing her conclusion, Beth walked in to her room and asked, "Kerry, do you want to come out with all of us? We're going to go to a club. It's opening night there! It's going to be _so _much fun!" Kerry just shook her head and said, "Sorry, Beth, but I'm going to turn in tonight. This paper has taken a lot out of me and I've had a busy day. You go ahead and have fun, ok?" Beth's exit was similar to last time: a shrug and a walk out. But today, Kerry thought that Beth looked a little suspicious of her. Or maybe it was only Kerry being paranoid.

The door opened again and this time there were many pairs of feet shuffling out of the dorm. Kerry couldn't help but feel relieved. And then a thought struck her. _What if Beth knows about Kerry and Michel? _And then something worse: _What if Beth and her friends _all_ know about her and Michel and they're _all_ vampire hunters? _Kerry couldn't help but feel terrified. She opened her door and went out to sit on the couch and watch some TV. She had been sitting there for about half an hour when a knock at the door made her jump. Kerry got up and cautiously walked to the door to see who was out there.


	2. Chapter 2

Kerry was nervous. Who would be at the door right now? She was a little bit creeped-out. She stopped when she got to the door and looked around her. Quietly, she picked up a high-heeled shoe that was left by the door. Kerry opened the door after a moment's hesitation.

She raised the shoe above her head, getting ready to strike if the caller gave her even a little inkling that (s)he was dangerous. But when she saw who it was, she felt sheepish. It was her dad and Ian, coming to visit her. Now that she thought about it, it made sense that it would be them.

Today was little Ian's eighth birthday. He looked so excited about seeing her again. Kerry's dad looked at the shoe in her hand, his gaze questioning. She felt herself turn a little red. Carefully she put the shoe back on the floor and gathered Ian into her arms. "Happy birthday! How has your day been? Did Dad spoil you silly again this year?" she asked disapprovingly. Now it was her dad's turn to grin a little embarrassingly.

The corners of Kerry's mouth turned up in a smile. Ian began spilling all the details of his day to her. Everything came out in a rush. "Woah, slow down a little!" she said, laughing. He began again slower this time. He told her how his teacher gave him candy and a sticker, how he got to go see a movie and get lots of popcorn and a large pop all to himself (Kerry raised an eyebrow to her dad, who shrugged helplessly), how he got a video game, and how one of Kerry's friends stopped by to say happy birthday to him. He went on to say how he had so much food that he was so full. Then he sat down next to her and fell asleep on her shoulder, still trying to tell her about his eventful day.

Kerry smiled. She whispered to her dad. "You let him do all of this today? He must have gotten a sugar-high and driven you crazy." She laughed at this a little. From her empty side, she grabbed a blanket to cover Ian up with, and got one of the pillows sitting on the couch to lay his head on. "I'll be back in two seconds," she promised her dad. Kerry vanished into her room.

She came back out with the gift that she got Ian a couple of weeks ago. It was a game for Playstation called Marvel vs. Capcom 2. He wanted it so badly. Kerry loved making her brother smile. So using money she earned from her part-time job, she went out and got it for him. She couldn't wait to see his face when he opened it, but she wouldn't be able to because he had to go home; it was 10.30 pm and he had school the next day.

Her dad turned to her and asked, "What's going on with you, Kerry?"

She looked lost. "Not a lot. How about you?"

"Not too much. But what I really want to know is: Why did you almost beat us with that shoe?"

It took Kerry a couple seconds to figure out what he was talking about; she was tired. Then she realized what he meant and turned red. "Oh, well, I heard weird noises," she made up quickly. After the incident with the vampires four years ago, her dad disliked the word "vampires," to put it mildly. What would her dad's reaction be if she said, "I know a vampire and I think my roommate and her friends are vampire hunters,"?

Her dad knew her too well. He could catch her lying easily. "Kerry, if there's something wrong, you know I'll help."

"I'm fine, dad. Seriously. Maybe you should take Ian home. He has to go to school tomorrow."

Kerry's dad looked at her quietly for a couple of moments. He got up and stretched and said, "You're right. Will you help me bring him down?" He gestured to Ian. Kerry nodded.

Kerry picked Ian up and she and her dad walked down to the car. She set Ian in the backseat carefully and put the box with his game in his lap. Her dad got into the driver's seat and rolled down the window. "If you need anything, just give me a call. We'll come by and visit soon, 'k?" Kerry nodded and waved good-bye as he drove away.

It wasn't until Kerry had gotten back to her room and was getting ready for bed that it hit her. None of her new friends knew when Ian's birthday was, and none of them even knew where her home was. So how could one of them have gone to her house and wished her brother happy birthday?


	3. Chapter 3

Kerry woke up to a rainy morning. It was wet and dark outside, and it was Friday. The class she had today was optional. She thought about any homework that she needed to finish for any of her other classes and the list came up blank. Kerry grinned. This day was all hers, even if it was crappy outside.

She decided to take a shower first. Might as well, considering she smelled awful and her hair needed a good washing. Once she was clean and glowing from a good scrubbing, she walked back into her room and realized it was a mess. Kerry picked up her clothes, threw away pieces of crumpled paper, and vacuumed the floor. That cleaned up her floor. Then she made her bed, straightened papers on her desk, and took a long look at her room. It was so clean.

Kerry was happy with her room. She walked out of her room and wondered why Beth hadn't complained about the noise Kerry had made cleaning her room. Kerry shrugged; maybe Beth was still asleep, or maybe she had spent the night with Seb, which wouldn't have been anything new. Kerry was just happy having some time alone to think.

Last night, as she was trying to fall asleep, Kerry tried long and hard to figure out who would have gone to her house to say happy birthday to Ian. It kind of creeped her out. Not very positive thoughts raced through her head. _Is somebody stalking me? Is somebody planning to take my family away from me again? _The latter scared her more. What would she do if somebody tried to kidnap her brother and dad again? Michel wasn't there to help her this time around. Or if he was, he didn't show himself to her.

_Maybe I will go to the class today,_ she thought to herself. She had an hour left before she needed to leave to reach the lecture hall on time. Kerry made herself busy by making a sandwich. She rummaged in the fridge for the jelly and grabbed the peanut butter out of the cabinet. She grabbed a knife out of the drawer to spread the ingredients onto the bread just as a knock came at the door.

Kerry walked to the door and opened it, expecting Beth to glide in. However, it wasn't Beth at the door, but Seb. Kerry knew the surprise showed on her face and didn't bother to hide it. He looked like hell.

Sebastian was sopping wet and his eyes were tired. There was a deep gash across his forehead and his left leg was soaked in blood. His arms were covered in cuts and bruises. Kerry was astonished, but she quickly pulled him inside and rushed to find a first-aid kit. "What happened to you?" she asked worriedly.

Seb didn't answer. Kerry didn't think he would be able to until he spoke. "Beth is dead."

He put the news so bluntly that Kerry didn't know how to react. _You would think he would try to soften the news, but nooo…_ She couldn't blame him, though. What else could anybody think of when somebody who was close to them died?

His normally green eyes were now a deep blue. They were empty and focusing on something far away. Kerry couldn't help but try to get them to focus on something here and now. "What happened?" she repeated urgently. It was important that she knew what was going on if she was going to help.

Quietly, almost so Kerry couldn't hear him, Sebastian gave an answer; even then, it came out in fragments. "Hunting…vampire…too fast…flying…pain…Beth…" And then he fainted.

**A/N:** Sorry this one took a little longer. I'll try to be faster with the next one! And I'll try to add to the length instead of subtract! This is my weekend's project. _Puts on determined face..._


	4. Chapter 4

It took Kerry about forty minutes to get Sebastian cleaned up. She rolled up the left leg of his pants, or at least tried to. She ended up having to cut it off with a pair of scissors. When she saw the leg, she almost passed out from the sight of all that blood. Once she was able to wash it away, she saw that the reason for all the blood was that there was a long cut running down his shin, even though it was shallow. Kerry wrapped his leg in gauze and went to work on his head.

The cut on Seb's forehead was going to need stitches and Kerry didn't know if she would be able to put them in. Then she remembered those lessons on how to insert stitches that she got from her friend, who was studying to be a nurse. Carefully, Kerry stitched the wound closed and thanked God that Seb was asleep. The injuries to his arms were minor and easy to clean. With a lot of effort, Kerry got him onto the couch. She found a blanket and a pillow and got him as comfortable as he was going to get. Then she plopped herself down onto the chair and waited for him to wake up.

Kerry didn't go to that class after all. She ended up sitting on that chair for five minutes before she got restless. First, she went into the kitchen and cleaned up the sandwich she didn't get to make. Then she went around and picked up all the bloodied pieces of cloth that she had used to clean up Seb's wounds. She filled the tub with cold water and left them in there to soak, knowing that the water should get some of the stains out.

When she sat back down on the chair, she noticed that Seb was stirring a little bit. Kerry held her breath, wondering if he was going to wake up.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. At first, they were relaxed, but they tensed as soon as he realized he wasn't at his own place. He sat up, looked around, saw Kerry sitting in the chair, and groaned. She frowned, but kept quiet. He looked at her and his eyes became sad. "Beth is dead," he reminded Kerry.

"Yeah, I know. You kind of threw that into my face an hour ago, and then you passed out." Letting out an impatient sigh, she added, "Maybe you should still be resting. Anybody else who took the beating that you did would've been out like a light all night. I won't ask you everything I want to until tomorrow if you decide to rest."

Smiling a little, although not happily, Seb asked, "What kind of questions do you want to ask me?"

His smile turned into a frown as Kerry fired off the list. "Were you hunting a vampire or was it hunting you? Who was the vampire? Was there more than one? Did they _kill_ Beth or change her? How long have you known about vampires? How much do you know about—"

He cut her off abruptly, "Maybe I should've taken a rest…" As if to prove it, he lay back on the couch, a bit too quickly so he ended up hitting his head on the armrest instead of his pillow. "Ow! That hurt."

Suppressing a laugh, Kerry said, "I wish you would stop hurting yourself. If you stopped, then you wouldn't get as many bruises and cuts as you did last night… I'm assuming that this was last night, right? Vampires wouldn't come out during the day because of the sun." She said this so it sounded like everybody knew that little fact. What would Seb thing if he knew that she knew about vampires? Would he think she was friends with them? Would he try to kill her? Kerry knew that she couldn't let him know that she knew about vampires, whatever the consequences.

Seb looked at her quietly, wondering if she really knew the truth about vampires and sunlight. "What exactly do you know about vampires, Kerry?"

She looked at him, surprised, and said, quite convincingly, "Well, aren't they killed with a stake? They don't like holy water and they don't like crosses. They also have an aversion to sunlight. Am I right?"

He looked at her and sighed. "That's what everybody thinks nowadays. All those myths about vampires…"

Kerry cocked her head and said, again believably, "So, what people think they know about vampires isn't true?" He nodded. "Then what's the truth?" She leaned forward, wanting to know how much Sebastian knew about vampires.

But he just sighed and leaned back, carefully this time, and said, "That's a conversation for another time. Besides, I don't want you getting hurt, too." He looked sad for a moment. Kerry felt for him. It was hard to lose somebody you loved. She thought about her mother, but got more angry then sad thinking about her. _What kind of a mother leaves her children?_

Kerry forced herself to stop thinking about her mother. Seb realized Kerry was distressed and asked why. "Nothing, just my mother. She left us a long time ago. I tried to stop beating myself up about it because I was always sure it was my fault she left, but…" Kerry stopped, wondering why she was opening up to somebody who she never had much reason to talk with in the first place. She realized that she and Seb were going to get closer as they dealt with Beth's death together.

**I'm super sorry this took longer to update than I thought it would. I kind of lost my train of thought in the middle of the chapter. But I do have a pretty good idea of what I want next chapter. Requests are open to what you want. Send some ideas! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I've been getting calls for Michel to show up, but the thing is (now, don't kill me) I'm not sure if he's gonna show up anytime soon. YES, he IS going to come into the story, but not quite yet. Be patient with me, will you?**

Sebastian moved in. Not officially of course, but he had taken over Beth's room two weeks ago and didn't show any signs of leaving yet. He took a few trips down to his apartment and grabbed his necessities. Of course, now people thought that he was not really sensitive to death and that he was sleeping with Kerry, but Kerry knew the truth.

The truth was that Seb felt a lot for Beth. For two days after he stumbled into Kerry's dorm that day, he hid out in Beth's room, not coming out to eat. Kerry thought she could hear him crying sometimes. Sometimes, though, she was so annoyed with him, she thought he was remembering great times those two shared in there. She chided herself for not being fair a couple of seconds later. _Why wouldn't he be in there? He's mourning for his dead girlfriend!_

He finally came out though, and when he did, he completely avoided the subject. It was an unspoken agreement between them not to bring it up. Kerry wondered, though, why they hadn't had a funeral for Beth. _Maybe vampire hunters don't do that kind of thing…Or maybe Seb couldn't find her body…_ That sort of scared her. What if Beth's body turned up hacked to pieces somewhere? What if Beth wasn't Beth anymore? Realization dawned on Kerry. _What if Beth wasn't _human_ anymore?_

This worried Kerry so much that she walked around the apartment fretting. She randomly organized her already neat room. She fluffed up pillows that didn't need fluffing. She even burned macaroni and cheese. The macaroni and cheese was the last straw for Sebastian. "What's wrong with you?" he asked finally.

"Nothing," Kerry replied a bit too quickly.

Sebastian just looked at her, raising his eyebrow as if to say "Yeah, right…" Moving the words from his eyebrows to his mouth, he said out loud "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious! Why should something be wrong with me? Nothing's wrong. I don't think it's weird that Beth didn't have a funeral. I don't think it's weird that we haven't recovered her body. I don't think it's weird that we haven't told her family that she's dead. I don't notice anything weird at all…" Everything came out in a big rush and once she realized what she said, Kerry clapped her hands over her mouth and looked horrified. Sebastian sat there and just stared at her. At one point, he rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. Kerry thought he looked tired. Before she could confirm her suspicion, he had returned to his neutral pose.

"You done?" he asked finally. "I've got something to say to you now. Everything is wrong. Beth wasn't supposed to die. She was supposed to lead us in our revolt against the vampires. She was supposed to be there for us forever. She wasn't supposed to die. When I went back while you were at class the other day, I couldn't find her body. I had hid it before I came here. I couldn't give her a proper funeral because I couldn't find her body. I can't tell her family she's dead because she has no family. I just can't do this anymore." He returned his head to his hands. "I'm going on one more mission. I'm finding that vampire who killed Beth. I'm gonna kill him. And then, my hunting career is over. With nobody to lead us, we're all out of the business."

"Who are you talking about? Who's 'we'?"

"We are a group who know a lot more about vampires than most people do. We know that vampire myths are only stories and the only one to really take seriously is about their aversion to sunlight. We are The Hunters, " he concluded. On a second thought, he added, "We _were_ the Hunters."

Kerry grunted. "Not a very clever name, is it?" she asked, drinking in this information. "Do you at least know the name of the vampire you're after? If he lives around here, then he would probably go to night classes or hit the clubs as soon as he wakes up for the night."

Seb laughed humorlessly. "He doesn't _live_ anywhere. However, he currently resides in a nice house nearby." He looked out the window, then at the clock. "In fact, he should be waking up right about now." Outside, the sun sank behind dorms and houses, leaving a black sky with the stars covered in a blanket of clouds.

Seb sighed, breaking the silence. He stretched, yawned and said, "I'm going to bed. I'll go vampire hunting tomorrow." He walked to what used to be Beth's room rubbing his eyes along the way. The door shut, leaving Kerry alone in the kitchen with the cold burnt macaroni on the table. She cleared everything off the table and stuck the dishes in the dishwasher. Then she settled into the couch with the text she needed to read for the next day's class and began to read.

A few hours later at around 10.00, she heard a knock at the door through Sebastian's snoring. Wondering who would come calling this late at night, she went to the door and opened it. A pair of familiar gray eyes looked into her face. Kerry moved out of the way and heard a door open behind her. Sebastian walked out of Beth's room, again rubbing his eyes, and asked groggily, "Who's at the –" but stopped abruptly when he saw who walked in past Kerry, who had closed her door quietly. Both of them stared at the person in the middle of the room, not believing who they were looking at until she said, "What? You two look like you've seen a ghost!" But they thought they were. How else could Beth be there right in front of them?

**SORRY FOR THE LONG TIME WAITING!!!! I'll bet you all thought that I was going to put a pair of familiar _blue_ eyes and psyche you out, weren't you? Muhahahaha! But I promise he'll be back with us within…let's say 3 chapters, shall we? **


	6. Chapter 6

**I dunno if y'all are gonna like this chapter or not, but I'd still love to know what you think of it. (COUGHreviewCOUGH)**

Chapter 6:

Beth walked past Kerry and Seb's shocked faces and sat on the sofa with a sigh. She looked longingly at the window and then turned back to her friends. With a forced smile, she said, "Why are you two standing there looking like fishes? Come sit with me!"

Like zombies, they walked toward Beth where Seb sat next to her and Kerry sat on the chair. For moments they sat in silence. It was Seb who shattered it first. "So…" The simple word seemed to set off a flash of lighting as rain started pouring down outside. He jumped and tried speaking again. "Where have you been? I mean…last time I saw you, we were fighting that vampire and we almost had him when he pulled a sneak attack on me and I heard you scream before I blacked out…" He held his head in his hands.

Beth, looking surprised, said, "I didn't scream." Seb's head shot up. "I didn't scream," she repeated looking at him slowly, "I was fighting, same as you, when you got knocked down. You were out cold and I shot my crossbow when he moved to the side. Behind him, tied to the wall, was a woman. I hit her in the stomach. She was the one that screamed, but you couldn't have known that because you were unconscious."

Sebastian looked away, muttering something to himself. Kerry, sensing that now was the time to shift the tension away from him, asked, "Who is 'he'? And did you know the woman tied to the wall?"

Without taking her eyes off Seb, Beth answered, "He is one of the most powerful vampires I've come up against in a long time. I don't know who the woman on the wall was, but," looking at Kerry, "but she looked a little bit like you. She had the same eyes and the same hair color." Kerry was surprised and it showed. A couple moments later, Beth added, "It was almost like she was related to you somehow."

Kerry couldn't help it. She asked, "How old did she look?"

"She looked around twenty-five-ish."

"Oh." Kerry was a little bit upset. Her mother seemed like a young person when she left, but by now she would have been around forty-five, which was fifteen years older than this woman. Even her mother couldn't pull off fifteen years.

Beth turned to look at her now, curious. "Why? Do you think you know her? Kerry, if you know who she is, then I need to know. You might be able to help me hunt down her vampire friend."

Kerry heard something a little bit off in the last part about what Beth said. She said "vampire _friend_," but didn't he have her tied to a wall? She tried working this through in her head while she said out loud, "I don't know what I was thinking. It couldn't be who I thought it could have been."

"It might be who you thought it was, Kerry."

"But it couldn't be…It's impossible that the woman was who I thought she might be."

"But _who_ Kerry?"

"You really think it could've been who I thought it was?" Beth nodded her head yes. "Ok, then. I thought it might have been my mother. She left us sometime after my little brother was born."

Beth sat back with a contemplating look on her face. For a few moments, nobody spoke. Slowly, she said, "It _might_ be possible…She _did_ look a lot like you…"

Kerry was speechless. Attempting to recover her voice, she spluttered, "B-b-but—she left so _long_ ago—a-a-and she was more than twenty—I mean, she always looked about twenty-five, but…it's just not possible!" Kerry broke down then and looked at Beth, who was staring at Seb, who was looking at his hands miserably. "What? Am I missing something? Oh no…What is it?"

Beth looked at Kerry again. She turned slowly and looked as if she was picking her words carefully. "Kerry…It might be possible that the woman was your mother. She might have been pregnant with you even though she was a vampire. It's really rare, but possible."

Kerry looked away and asked softly, "But could it happen twice to the same vampire in twelve years? Would she stick around long enough to let that happen?"

Without giving her an answer, Beth asked, "How often have you moved?"

"Maybe once, when I was about four years old."

"Oh. How often have people around you moved?"

"They come and go. But I never really know, because we've never been very social with them…"

Beth muttered a few things. "…It _could_ be possible…She might have made them think…she could've hidden herself well…"

"Beth," Kerry asked hesitantly, "Do you think… do you think it could really be her?"

"I don't know, Kerry…" Beth turned suddenly. "It's almost morning. I've got to get to sleep."

"Beth…why?" It was the first thing Sebastian had said in a while.

"Oh…I guess with everything that's been happening, I haven't gotten to tell you…I'm a vampire." With that, she walked into her room and was about to shut the door, but left it open a crack and stuck her head out, saying, "Seb, if you're gonna come sleep, you better come now cuz I'm not letting you in when the sun comes up."

Seb, not wanting to seem afraid that his girlfriend was one of the things he hunted, slipped through the door, giving Kerry a look that said "What the hell am I doing?" as he closed it. She went to bed, too exhausted to think about what just happened.

o.0

By the time the sun went down again, Kerry was yawning and coming out of her room, making her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She went in and turned the water on, made it so hot it was steaming, and let the water run over her for about twenty minutes. She came out wrinkly on her fingertips and under her toes. Seb walked out of Beth's room, grumbling and said to Kerry, "I'm going to the bar. This is way too much for me."

He left. Beth walked out of her room ten minutes later. "I need to go eat." Kerry knew she didn't mean take-out. "I might not be back till almost dawn." She left too. Kerry was alone in the dormitory. She sighed and ransacked her fridge. Not finding anything she wanted, she decided to go out for food.

Before she could grab her purse and coat, somebody knocked lightly at her door. Sighing out of exasperation, she called out, "Who is it?"

An unrecognized voice came muffled through the door. "A friend of an old acquaintance of yours." Wondering what the hell this person was talking about, Kerry opened the door and had to bite back a gasp.

The guy leaning against the doorframe was handsome enough to compete with Michel. His hair was blond, short, and spiked. Under his smooth forehead was a smooth face with beautiful green eyes that seemed like they could penetrate the thickest of armor. His nose looked like it might have been broken before, but it suited his face. His mouth quirked in a little smile as he looked Kerry over. He was tall and there seemed to be no body-fat on him whatsoever.

"I wondered what Mike was looking at every night we passed by here," he muttered to himself. To Kerry, he said, "Nice to meet you. You must be Kerry Nowicki," his smile grew warm. He held out his hand and she took it absently. His smile grew bigger. Before she realized what was going on, he made his way inside and shut the door behind him.

**OOO!! What's going on?? HAHA! You won't figure it out until you review!! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, hey, hey! What's up everybody?? I know that last chapter ended kinda weird-ish… sorry about that. I just couldn't think of how I was gonna end it and still make this chapter a decent length. So I hope you enjoy. :D **

o.0

Kerry was so surprised to have this unexpected, but definitely welcome, guest that she almost forgot to ask his name. "Oh. I'm so sorry. I don't think I caught your name?"

He smiled that brilliant smile of his. "I didn't say. But I will now. My name is Matt. Like I said earlier, I'm a friend of somebody you used to know."

Kerry was confused. Who did she know who could possibly know somebody like this? Unless… "Um, do you want a drink or a snack or something?"

"No thanks, I ate before coming here." He smiled wider, revealing some disturbingly long canines. Kerry started to get a little bit nervous.

"I can see you're a little bit nervous," he said casually. "You're probably wondering why I'm here."

Kerry sat down on the sofa across from the chair, where Matt was sitting. She nodded.

He nodded too and said, "Well, that's a long story. Let's make it short. What would you do if you heard some old friend of yours was hurt? Maybe fatally?"

Kerry sat stunned. "Who's hurt?" she managed to get out. The blood was draining from her face slowly.

He tsked at her and said, "I said _what if_ Kerry, you really need to listen…"

Kerry breathed a sigh of relief and said coldly, "If there's a reason you came here and if it wasn't to scare the hell out of me, please tell me soon so you can leave."

Matt laughed and said, "Just chill. I was only joking." His voice held a small accent to it, but Kerry couldn't quite place it. She could tell it was European, though.

They both sat there for a moment. Kerry waited for Matt to say more, while he waited to see what exactly she would do if he wouldn't say any more. Kerry snapped first.

"I really need to get to work soon. My boss will be pretty mad if I'm late." She was only partly lying. Her boss would get mad if she was late, but Kerry couldn't be late because she wasn't working that night. "So, if you would either tell me or leave, that would be great." She walked over to the door and began to unlock it, wondering when she locked it that night when another knock came at the door.

_Why is it that when I decide I want food, people start coming to the door?! I'm gonna end up starving tonight… _she thought as she opened the door. It was somebody else she didn't know standing out there. This one was a girl. She was tall, pale, and really pretty. Her eyes were a deep purple. And her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. She walked in past Kerry and sat down by Matt, who began eyeing her in the way only a guy can.

"Um…" Kerry said, "Who are you?"

"Oh, how stupid of me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Shita. I'm a friend of a friend. I think the same friend of the one who's sitting right here next to me." She looked at Matt suggestively. Kerry rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but why are you two _here_? Why aren't you at your friend's house?"

"Because he said the party was here tonight," Shita said simply.

Matt got up and walked over to where Kerry's boom box was sitting next to the rack of CDs. He sifted through, found Breaking Benjamin, and put it on.

Kerry sighed, defeated, and said wearily, "So how many more are coming?"

Matt grinned and said, "Well, our friend said he would be here a few minutes after he sent me up." He pulled Shita up and started to dance with her. "Kerry, you had better call in sick to work tonight. Our friend probably wants you here too." With that, Matt stopped talking and kept dancing. Kerry wondered how they could dance in such little space. They made it look so easy.

Kerry walked into her room and closed the door against the music and giggles from Shita. She flopped back onto her bed and took out her phone to call for some pizza. She ordered a medium cheese pizza and waited for it to come.

Five minutes later there was a knock at the door. Again. Kerry groaned and got up to answer it grumbling, "That better be the pizza guy." Naturally, when she opened the door, it wasn't the pizza guy that was standing there, but another gorgeous person waiting to be let in. Kerry sighed, tuned around, and said, "You don't need to tell me. You're here for the party too. They're over there." She pointed to Matt and Shita, who were all over each other, and walked back to her room.

"Um, actually," he said, "I'm here to see you." Kerry paused, turned back to him and took a good look.

Yeah, she had seen this guy around campus. He was a nice one to look at. And he was always out in the sun, so he couldn't be a vampire. So what was his reason for being here tonight?

"So…You're having a party, huh? Why aren't you in it?"

"Well, it's not exactly _my_ party. I think these are some of Seb and Beth's friends."

He nodded and said, "Where's Seb?"

Kerry wondered for a second why he didn't ask about Beth, but then realized he still thought she was dead. She said, "I dunno, but he better be back soon before I kick both of them out. It doesn't seem like anybody else is coming…" And there was another knock on the door. Kerry sighed, opened it, saw she didn't know who it was, pointed and said, "They're over there."

She looked at the guy who was still standing by the door and said, "What's your name?"

He smiled and said, "I'm Jay. I saw you around campus and asked around. That's how I found out who you are and what building you're living in. I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a bite to eat?"

Kerry smiled and said, "Well, actually, I'm waiting for some pizza to come. So…would you like to join me?"

He grinned and said, "I would love to." They started to walk back to Kerry's room when there was another knock at the door. Kerry made a face and said, "I'll be there in a sec. The room to the right is mine." He walked off to her room and Kerry turned around to go to the door.

Before she opened it, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and opened the door. "I'll take you to where everybody else is. Come on." The guy following her looked amused. When she came to where the three other people were dancing. Loudly she said, "I'll answer the door until my pizza delivery comes, but after that, if somebody knocks on the door, you guys are gonna answer it!" They kept dancing and didn't seem to take notice of what she was saying.

Kerry was grumbling on the way back to her room when there was _another_ knock at the door. She picked up her wallet from her room really quick, praying it would be the pizza, and ran to open the door. It wasn't the pizza. Kerry almost fainted.

It was Michel.

o.0

**Ok, so this one was pretty short. I want pizza. Badly… Urgh… There were a lot of knocks at the door. So is Michel _the_ friend or _another_ friend of a friend? Are they all lying about being a friend of a friend?!?! I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. So…bear with me!! SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys…Yeah, I know the last chapter sucked…I might have been delirious while I was writing it. I must not have been in my right mind…geez… ok. Well, I hope this chapter makes up for the last one. PLEASE REVIEW!!**

o.O

Kerry couldn't believe it. It was the one and only Michel…or Ethan…or whatever he was calling himself nowadays. Anyway, it was him. And he had such crappy timing, too. They looked at each other for a couple moments, each taking a mental picture.

He was the same as last time Kerry saw him: broad shoulders, black hair that fell in front of his blue eyes, the small smile that said I'm-laughing-even-though-it's-not-really-funny-but-it-is… There was an awkward silence. Kerry broke it first.

"I suppose you didn't run into the pizza boy on the way here, did you?" She smiled a little.

"Oh, was he the one who I just had a snack with? I didn't realize he was delivering _your _pizza or I would've waited until after he delivered it before…you know." Kerry's eyes went wide. He smiled a little bit wider to show he was joking. "So, are you going to let me in, or what?"

"Sure." Kerry was a little pale from his open amusement about his eating habits. She took another shot at conversation. "Are you here to party with the rest of them? Or are you here because they were all waiting for you?" He just pushed past her lightly, not seeming like he was going to give an answer.

Matt peeled himself off of Shita long enough to come say hello to Michel. "Hey, man. I almost didn't think you'd be able to make it. But you always do, don't you?" Michel/Ethan/Whatever grinned and shook hands with Matt. Kerry couldn't help but be a little shaken. Here she was waiting for her pizza in a room full of vampires who probably thought she was a great prospect for their next meal.

Michel said a few things to Matt that Kerry couldn't hear and then turned back to her to talk. Matt walked away. Kerry was the first one to talk, yet again. "I hope you didn't miss me too much."

Michel smiled. "Not at all. My Japanese is almost flawless. I had plenty of time working on it without having to chase you around making sure you weren't in trouble."

Kerry snorted. "You never really had to chase me around. I found you that first night. You ran into me the second night. And those other nights, I didn't really do much other than follow you around." _And almost get you killed_, she thought to herself, but that was one memory she'd rather not touch upon.

"Yes, but you probably didn't realize that on those nights after the ones we spent with each other I followed you to make sure you didn't do anything stupid."

Kerry's eyes went wide with shock, and then narrowed with a glare that threatened to melt him on the spot. "You _spied_ on me?!?! How could you do that? You still didn't trust me after I saved your life? Some thanks I get…" She grumbled to herself for a while.

Michel waited a few minutes for her to calm down before sighing and saying, "Come on. I think we need to talk."

Kerry's head shot up and she looked at him suspiciously. "Whatever. You never want to 'just talk.' What're you trying to pull?"

He just grabbed her arm and steered her toward her room. He pushed her in and shut the door. Kerry wondered how he knew which room was hers and was about to ask when another voice said something.

"Hey, Kerry, who's this?"

_Crap…_Kerry swore silently. She had forgotten about Jay, who was sitting at her desk fiddling with a pen. "Umm…" she said, "This is…"

Michel beat her to it. "Hi." He stuck out his hand. "My name is Isaac. I'm Kerry's boyfriend."

Kerry didn't like where this was going and tried to interrupt, "Um, well actually --"

But Michel cut her off again and grasped Jay's hand. "Nice to meet you…?"

"It's Jay," he said shortly.

When Jay shook Michel's, or "Isaac's", hand it looked like he was going to try to tear it off or squeeze it so hard the blood would stop circulating. Michel/Isaac just smiled politely and tightened his grip ever so slightly. Jay winced and then turned to Kerry.

"I just remembered I have a paper due tomorrow and I haven't started it yet. Maybe we can talk some other time, ok?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned and left.

Kerry let out the breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Then she turned on Michel. "My _boyfriend_? First you tell me you've been spying on me and then you tell some guy you're my _boyfriend_?" Beneath her angry surface, she was actually pleased that he chose to masquerade as her boyfriend. She didn't completely get over him, even though she hadn't seen him in four years.

Michel raised an eyebrow at her and said, "I thought we were. We just haven't seen each other in so long. I've been planning to come back for you, you know."

Somehow, Kerry didn't believe a word of this, but she played along anyway. "Uh-huh. You mean you were going to let me see you even though you were spying on me the whole time."

Michel sighed. "Would you please stop making it sound like I'm some sort of pervert? I was only watching out for you. Besides, if I wasn't watching out for you, then so many people would try to kill you, you have no idea."

She didn't believe this either, but before she could question, he hushed her and walked to the door. He opened it a crack and looked out at the gathering of people, which had gotten much bigger. Michel found what he was looking for and swore softly, in French of course. He pushed her into the bathroom and told her to pretend she was doing something in there while he distracted whoever was out there.

Kerry put the toilet seat down and sat on the fuzzy tie-dye cover. She leaned her head back against the wall and let out a sigh. She was confused about why Michel, or Isaac, was back. But it wasn't a negative confused, it was more of a hopeful confused. She didn't know why she should feel that way after what her last experience with him, but she couldn't help but feel a little excited that he was back.

Kerry had a feeling that the excitement was about to begin.

o.O

About half an hour later, Kerry was still in the bathroom, but she situated herself in the tub so that if she fell asleep, her feet wouldn't turn the water on and drown herself. She was nodding off when she heard a knock on the door.

"Kerry? Kerry, you still in there?" Michel was calling her, but she couldn't get herself out of the tub to go answer him. She was so tired…

All of a sudden, she wasn't the only one in the bathroom. Another person was there with her. How this person got in was a mystery. Kerry thought she recognized the woman, but she couldn't be too sure. "_Don't_ _let_ _him_ _in,_ _baby_…" she was saying.

Kerry wasn't going to let him in. She didn't want to. She would do whatever this strange woman said…

"_Just hold still…_"

The water was running. Kerry felt the cool water as it came up over her face. It felt so good. It came up over her nose. It filled up to the top of the tub. And then it stopped. She could still hear the woman's voice.

"_Go to sleep…"_

Her eyes closed, she took a deep breath…

o.O

**I know, the cruelty of it all. Y'all know what's gonna happen… or do you? I know it took forever and it's a very measly chapter, but please read and review. I took some of it out and put it in the next one. PLEASE don't hate me. **


	9. Chapter 9

**I haven't had the time to just sit and write this chapter out before I checked it and everything. So I'm writing it out without editing and proofing and everything and I sincerely hope that you guys will forgive me for awfulness of my grammar. **

o.0

Kerry took a deep breath and began to choke on the water. There was something holding her down, though, so no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't break free to get to the surface of the water. As she choked, she continued to swallow more and more water. Soon she couldn't get the strength to move and her vision began to cloud.

She hardly noticed as the door swung open. She didn't even realize when the woman jumped the window. She was unconscious by the time Michel finally pulled her out.

o.0

Kerry jolted back into reality as she spit and choked out water. She vaguely remembered what happened and burst into great wrenching sobs. She kept repeating one word over and over in whispers, as she tried to convince herself it wasn't true.

Soon she was bundled up in Michel's arms as he picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom.

o.0

Kerry woke up, still in Michel's arms. He was sitting on her bed with his back against the wall. She was in his lap with her head resting against his shoulder as he stroked her hair calmingly. Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, she tried to pull back, but he wouldn't release his grip.

"You know," he began slowly, as if he were unsure of himself, "I think I was scared for the first time in ages when I saw you in the bathroom with that woman standing over you. She was holding you down with her mind, you know. Some vampires do that. They like to play with their prey before they, you know." He absently stroked her neck.

Kerry jerked back a little and that brought him back to his senses. He gave her an amused smile and said, "I'm not going to hurt you, Kerry." In a flash, he was serious, and a little bit worried, again. "How are you feeling?"

She focused on how she felt for a couple seconds before answering. "I'm a little sore. It kind of hurts to breath. Plus, I think I got some water up my nose." She wrinkled her nose and pointed at it to emphasize. He smiled again.

_He must really have been worried_, she realized. _He's smiling very easily, even at things he would normally just ignore._ Kerry looked at her window and realized something else.

"What time is it? Where are you going to sleep? How are you going to get there in time? Why are you laughing at me?!" There she was worrying about him and he sat there and laughed. What a blow to her pride.

From her closet, he pulled out a thick comforter. He took some pushpins from her desk and stood up on her bed and pinned the comforter in front of the window so no light would get in from anywhere.

"I'm staying right here," he said, as if it were obvious.

Kerry couldn't help but be a little skeptical. "What? You're not even going to handcuff me?" She still remembered that night in the subway.

"Of course not. I think I trust you a little bit. After all, you did save my life. Besides, you owe me big time."

Kerry made a face, but she had to admit that he was right. She did owe him. He saved her from drowning in the bathtub. What a horrible place to die. Out of all places, in the bathroom. Kerry rolled her eyes at herself for being so ridiculous.

Just before the sun began to come up, Michel pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers and breathed out a, "Goodnight," before he lay back on the bed and stopped breathing.

o.0

Kerry stood there for a moment, and touched her lips disbelievingly. That completely proved Kerry wasn't dreaming. Michel was here in real life and he just kissed her. She walked out of her room and shut the door behind her. She was about to sit on the couch when she realized she wasn't the only one in the room.

Seb was sitting on the chair in front of the TV. There was a pizza box on the coffee table. It was a medium cheese pizza. There was a note on the box with elegant handwriting on it.

_Kerry,_

_I did NOT drain the pizza guy. Your pizza is paid for, out of your own purse of course. I figured I'd take the liberty of paying him for you. Make sure you eat. We're going to have a big night ahead of us._

_- Isaac_

_P.S._

_You really shouldn't keep such big bills in your pocket. You'd be very sad if somebody decided to rob you._

Kerry immediately jumped up and grabbed her purse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he didn't give the hundred to the pizza guy. Her dad left it with her as emergency cash in case she went broke.

She opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice of great cheesy goodness. She offered Sebastian a piece, but he just stared blankly at her. She began feasting on the great unhealthiness before her.

As she put the slice in her mouth for another bite, Sebastian asked her, "Who's Isaac? Is he the vampire in your room?"

Kerry almost choked on her pizza, but managed to swallow before she turned her gaze on him. Trying to avoid answering the question, she countered with, "Where's Beth? Isn't she in your guys' room?"

He winced and said, "Touché."

There was silence. Then he said, "How long have you known him?"

"Who?"

"Isaac."

Oh. Should she tell the truth? Probably. Was she going to? She didn't think so.

Kerry shrugged.

Seb banged the armrests of the chair with his hands. It was sudden and made Kerry jump. "Damn it Kerry! Don't give me that. I need to know."

"Why?" She was honestly very confused.

"Because I need to know how much you know about his kind." _Way to be subtle,_ she thought.

"And how might that be of any use to you?"

"Are you the one who killed Marsala?"

Again. Should she tell the truth? This time: definitely no.

"No. I don't even know who you're talking about. Besides, even if I did kill him, why would I tell you?"

"Because the person who killed him was under the wing of one of the most notorious vampires there are. Marsala was an old fool. He believed all that shit about vampires being allergic to garlic, holy water and dead man's blood. He believed that vampires would burn if they touched a cross or a stake through the heart would kill them. The only thing he got right was the sun. That's the only thing any of the vampire hunters of his caliber got right.

"But the rest of us who knew what we were doing understood what really happened to him. We were all on the scene when we learned he had failed. A vampire would have killed him differently, drained him. Marsala fell down the stairs. So that girl who was there when he died pushed him down and has been covering up for that son of a bitch vampire ever since.

"That girl who came to the police when he was murdered was named Kerry Nowicki. What are the chances that there were two people of that name living around that area just around the time of the murder? Very slim. Which leads me to believe that you've been lying to me. I almost believed it, too. I went and I researched everything that happened within those three days you were missing. You weren't kidnapped by Marsala at all. You were with that bloodsucker who's asleep in your room right now."

Kerry couldn't take it any more. Seb was yelling and soon she was too.

"And what's it to you? He was trying to kill Isaac! All you hunters see is some monster who sucks human's blood. someone who's unholy and needs to be destroyed! You don't see the good in them, you see the worst. Granted, he lied to me a lot when I was with him but for the most part, it was about stuff that wasn't important. The only serious lie he told me was that my dad and brother weren't safe when they really were, but all he wanted was help.

"So I helped him. I helped him until Marsala changed my mind about him again by pointing out his lie. Then I realized that Marsala was just some sick creep who enjoyed torturing these people just because they need to survive in a way that would be considered sick and twisted to humans. I didn't mean to make him fall down the stairs, but he did, ok? And now he's dead. But my time with Isaac made me realize that even dead people have emotions and reasons to survive."

Sebastian marched right up to Kerry's door and was about to open it. Before he could she shoved him out of the way and screamed at him, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I want you to look at what's in there and tell me that _thing_ has emotions."

"You're going to show me Isaac when I can show you Beth?"

He looked furious as he hissed, "She's different."

"How so? They both are the same thing. You're telling me that he's bad and she's not? Because you've known her longer? Is that it? In that case, I suggest that you get to know him."

"I know that if she had a choice she wouldn't change."

"They all have a choice." She remembered what Michel told her before. "They have a choice to change. And even as vampires, they can change back into humans. They just choose not to."

Seb looked shocked.

"So before you get on my case about Isaac being such a dangerous creature, ask Beth why she's choosing to stay like him." Kerry was almost whispering by the time she was done

It was silent between them until nightfall when both of their vampires awoke.

o.0

**Ok, guys. I hope you liked this chapter. I didn't realize how much I wrote until up about five seconds ago. Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi, everybody! Yes! It really is chapter ten… after about, four million years. Sorry about that. But it's here! Hopefully, y'all will like it.**

o.0

Chapter 10

Kerry and Sebastian sat there in the tense silence as, slowly, each vampire emerged from the two bedrooms. It seemed to Kerry that, with their super-speed, they could have been a little bit faster. The tension was getting to her, and she was going to be grumpy if somebody didn't calm her down soon, especially after that conversation with Seb.

Kerry got up to get water. She leaned against the sink as she began to drink and nearly spluttered when Michel appeared next to her, as if from thin air. Similarly, she could see Seb flinch slightly when Beth sat next to him. Michel, or Isaac, slipped an arm around Kerry's waist after she put the glass in the sink. The gesture would have been protective, if it didn't feel so possessive. Kerry glanced up at his face. He shifted his eyes down at her for a brief second. Kerry was reminded of his nonexistent emotion, and she rolled her eyes and looked away.

"What?" he said sarcastically. "Can't you look a vampire in the face?" He tilted her face up with a finger. "We don't hypnotize people with our eyes. You should know that." Kerry finally brought her eyes to his. Her eyes held a question. Michel dropped his finger and ran his hand through his hair. "Here come the questions," he said with exaggerated annoyance. "Ask away."

Kerry looked at him a little longer, and debated with herself whether to ask him why he was being so open about her knowing about vampires. "Nothing," she said, deciding against it. She turned to Beth and Seb who were still sitting on the couch.

"Hey," he said, turning her to face him. "You know you can ask me anything." Kerry's eyebrows popped up. "I just won't answer everything." She rolled her eyes again, and turned away.

"I'm flattered that you're so honest about answering my questions," she said, matching his playful tone. _Hmmm…_ she mused. _He's playing with me._ Kerry wondered why he was being so different right now than when she had last seen him four years ago. It was a change. She never thought he was capable of joking with her, unless he was making fun of her. Maybe it was because of the situation we were in, she thought.

_Then what situation are we in now?_

Kerry didn't think she was in too much danger, unless you counted the attempted murder the night before. If somebody was trying to kill her, then why was Michel (_Isaac_, she thought to herself), as calm as ever? Shouldn't he have been a little bit jumpy, especially with a vampire hunter in the room? Even though that vampire hunter was dating a vampire…

Kerry was struck with a sudden thought. _Are vampires territorial?_ That would explain why _Isaac_ was being so possessive of her. If he's territorial and he's this old (she didn't want to think of how old), then how is Beth going to be? After all, Beth had been living here with Kerry since the beginning of the school year. That had to mean Beth would be protective of this place. What if she couldn't restrain herself?

"What's wrong?" Michel had been watching her as her thoughts rolled around her head. It was almost as if he could see right through her.

Kerry debated with herself whether or not to tell him what was on her mind. "Nothing," she said, pretty sure that her question would be answered soon enough anyway. She didn't want to worry about anything right then, even though she was within ten feet of two vampires and a vampire hunter. Her head was spinning almost out of control.

"Kerry…" he started to say, before he was cut off by a knock at the door. All four people in the area looked at the door.

Kerry looked at Michel and said, "Hey, Mi—," he gave her a look that said, "don't blow my cover" and she quickly pretended to stumble over her words. "Hey, um…Isaac. Were you expecting anybody?"

"No. If I was, they would email me or call before heading over to my place." He looked at her, amused at the expression on her face. She looked curious, suspicious, and confused all at the same time. "If you were wondering if vampires have X-ray vision, let me tell you right now: we don't." Beth looked over and glared at him. She had been staring at the door as if she could see through it just a few seconds earlier. Isaac continued, "So I'll be just as surprised as you when you open the door and see who it is."

Kerry suppressed a sigh as she walked over to the door and opened it to see her dad standing outside. Ian wasn't with him. That was the first thing Kerry thought of when she saw him, and she completely forgot the curious vampires (and hunter) in the room behind her. "Dad, where's Ian? Is he all right? Did anything happen? You didn't have to come if something's wrong. You could've just called and I would have been there as fast as I could."

Mr. Nowicki looked at his daughter, smiling at her distress. "No, Kerry. Everything's all right. Ian's at a sleepover at his friend's house."

Kerry made a face. "It's not the rich spoiled friend is it? That kid is going to murder somebody one day because he won't get what he wants, and then he'll blame it on Ian. The poor kid needs to learn how to stand up for himself and not be such a pushover."

"Ian, or the rich kid?" asked Mr. Nowicki.

"IAN! I could care less about the rich kid."

"So now that you have the latest update on the little one, can I come in?"

Kerry realized that he was still out in the hall and moved over so her dad could get in. He took off his coat and slung it over a chair. Kerry closed and locked the door behind her and turned around to get settled in when she realized her dad was in a room with two vampires. Mr. Nowicki had been allergic to anything to do with vampires ever since that incident and he probably wouldn't be happy to know that he was in the room with two of them.

Before Kerry could get anything out to somehow warn them all to keep their traps shut about being vampires, Michel darted over to Mr. Nowicki, looked hard at him, leaned back and smiled. "So it _is_ you. I've been wondering ever since I saw Joanna."

Kerry's dad nodded. "Yeah. She swung by my house last night and said she went and saw Kerry. I was ready to throttle her if she had harmed her at all. But Jo said Kerry was just fine. A knight in shining armor came and saved her, apparently. I needed to make sure myself though that she was all right. So I came, in hopes I would meet her knight as well. I should have known it would be you."

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for the women in your family." Michel smiled mischievously. Mr. Nowicki looked at him half-disgusted, half-amused at the pun. "By the way," Michel added, "What do you go by these days?"

"Stephen. Stephen Nowicki."

"I much preferred you as Jon Mueller. It was so much easier to say, and remember."

"Right, like you could ever forget me," said Kerry's dad sarcastically.

Kerry looked hopelessly confused. Her mother's name was Joanna, but Kerry hadn't seen her in years. And what was this nonsense about her dad having another name? It was almost like he and Michel knew each other from a long time ago. It sounded like Michel knew her mother, too. How could he have known her? Kerry realized it was a small world, but not that small. Once she tuned into their conversation again, they were speaking in French, rapidly.

"Um…I hate to break up this little reunion," Kerry started, but stopped when both Michel and her dad looked at her. "Uh…never mind. Keep talking. I think I'm gonna go for a little walk." Kerry needed to get her thoughts in order. Considering that everybody trusted her not to spill their secrets, Kerry thought she was justified to go for a walk around campus to clear her head.

She grabbed her coat off the back of a chair and started to put it on when she felt an arm go around her waist. A voice next to her ear said, "Not so fast. You didn't think I'd let you go alone, did you?" Michel's voice was low, and it made her want to do anything he wanted. However, she was just too muddled to listen to the voice in the back of her head that wanted her to just give in.

"Well, I kind of wanted to go alone. You know, clear my head, figure out how to straighten myself out…the past couple nights were pretty eventful, if you remember." She pulled her coat all the way on and was reaching into her pockets for her gloves when she felt a cool hand slide in next to hers and grab her gloves before she could. The other hand turned her around and pulled up one of her hands to help her with the gloves. Kerry tried to tug the gloves out of his hands gently and said, "I'm a big girl now. I can put on my own gloves."

Michel did not relinquish his hold on her gloves and instead put her gloves on her hand, one at a time. When he finished he pulled her hands closer and kissed her gloved knuckles. Kerry giggled a little and said, "Well, my sir knight. Chivalry is almost nonexistent in today's world. However, if you still wish to escort me, I suggest you find a jacket, lest someone see you without and be suspicious."

He gave her a small smile as she gave her little speech and said, "My lady, I would be honored to be your escort this evening." He bowed slightly.

Behind Michel, Kerry could see her father rolling his eyes. "Always had a way with the ladies, didn't you?"

Michel grinned. "You were always jealous."

"No. I never had to prove myself the way you did." Michel looked like he was about to defend himself, but Kerry's dad kept going, "Anyway, this isn't just any other girl. She's my daughter. You make sure not to let her get hurt, or you'll have me to deal with, and you know how that normally turns out."

Michel laughed. "You were always funny. I do remember. You would win, though not always fairly. However, you're forgetting one major important detail."

"And what would that be?"

"I'm still a vampire. You chose to give that up for a family life. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to beat me."

Mr. Nowicki ran a hand over his face. "You fool. You could never keep your mouth shut, could you? It took so long for me to teach you that secrecy was the key to living unhindered. You've been doing well on your own, but I was still keeping my secret. Kerry didn't know."

Michel glanced at Kerry. "Somebody was going to have to tell her sooner or later." His eyes returned to her dad as he finished, "As I see it, it is beneficial for her to know it sooner. Now is not the time for secrets like yours. She needs to know about her family and it needs to be now, considering the little dilemma we're in."

Kerry stood there silently through the exchange. All this new information was trying to sink itself into her head. She looked at her father and at Michel, neither of whom were paying attention to her as they carried on their conversation, and debated whether or not to interrupt and demand an explanation. In the end, she decided it was best if she processed what she had just learned and asked more questions later. Noiselessly, she slipped out the door and walked away.

**Thank you for your patience. I know I am so slow and I should have gotten this out sooner. I'm sorry… Now that it's out though, please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Uhh… cough cough… hi everybody… My, but it's been a while hasn't it? I suppose I shouldn't even try to think of excuses for why I haven't posted in so long… I'm just a lazy one. So, without further ado, I suppose I should let you read this random chapter that came out of my head.

o.O

Chapter 11 

Kerry stepped out of the building into a cool breeze. Snow crunched beneath her feet as she walked across the courtyard near her building. Not wanting to walk too long in the cold, she stepped into the gazebo, which had electric heating. "Cold night, huh?" came a voice from behind her.

Kerry spun around, ready to apologize if she had interrupted the person, and saw Beth. She almost wondered how Beth got there until she remembered that Beth was a vampire now. Beth could move faster than ever and was able to move quieter. Kerry sighed, "Do they know you followed me?"

Beth smiled a half smile. She didn't have to ask who "they" were. "With the two of them bickering like an old couple, neither had time to notice. Seb knew I was coming. He aided my escape by opening up the window in our room. Your boyfriend sounded ready to burst when he realized you had already left. Luckily, your dad kept him calm enough to make him stay. Seb's there being our little spy." She put her finger on her lips as if to say, "sh… don't tell."

Kerry sat down and leaned her head out to look at as many stars as she could see, but many weren't visible due to the lighting outside. "You know, it's hard," she said. "It's so hard to have to know everything about everyone. There's been so many times since I learned about vampires that I've wondered why me? Why do I have to be thrown into the middle of something I was happily ignorant about before? I don't have to know so much and I don't have to hide things from my dad. Now I realize that he's been hiding things from me. It's hard because I don't know who to trust anymore." Kerry looked at Beth again. "No offense, but I find it hard to trust you, too. I found it hard before and it's harder now."

Beth smiled that smile of hers and said, "Maybe it's better that way." Kerry sat there and shook her head, thinking _Could you be any more cryptic?_ Then she heard a rustle, soft, but unmistakable. She got to her feet, but Beth held out an arm to stop her and went out to check what was going on. Kerry stood there looking out over the ground and wondered what it was, but then she felt somebody brush beside her.

"Did you find what it was?" she asked.

"Of course. Did you think I would let anything get you?" Kerry jumped and whipped around. It wasn't Beth who had spoken. It was Michel.

"JESUS! You scared the crap out of me!" She punched his arm hard, even though she was sure it wasn't hard to him. "What the hell is wrong with you? And where's Beth?"

He was rubbing his arm, as if it really was painful. "Geez… Have you been working out? That one almost hurt." He looked at her, hurt in his eyes, but Kerry saw right through that. "Beth went back upstairs. I told her I'd take it from here on out."

"So what now? You're babysitting me in shifts?"

"You could say so. Except, it's more like I'm on duty until further notice starting tomorrow night."

Kerry glowered at him. "You make it sound like a chore."

"Probably because it is. You're more trouble than you're worth."

"And you are a little bit of an asshole."

"Ladies shouldn't use words like that."

"Yeah well, knights shouldn't exactly take that tone with ladies."

"Then it's a good thing I'm no knight and you're no lady."

"Ha-ha," she said sarcastically. Kerry folded her arms across her chest and turned her back to him. Before she knew it his arm was around her waist and he was pulling her to him.

"You should never turn your back on a vampire," he whispered into her ear and kissed her neck.

"Don't mess with me right now. If you couldn't tell, I'm not exactly in the best of moods." She struggled a little against his grasp in order to release herself. He didn't let go. _Go figure_, she thought. "Come on, just let me go, please."

"Why are you running away? Don't you want to stay a little while?" Something about his voice seemed almost hypnotic. Kerry didn't want him to let go, not really. She stopped struggling against him. Actually, she leaned closer.

Michel held her close for a moment before pushing her away, as though he were angry with her. Kerry was shocked by the force of the push and she wasn't in time to catch herself as she fell against one of the benches in the gazebo. Her eyes widened with disbelief, and then narrowed with anger, then softened when she saw Michel again.

He was clutching his head as though he had a huge migraine and he was leaning over. She moved closer to catch him if he fell. He pushed her away again, lighter this time. "What's wrong?" Kerry demanded. "First you want me closer and then you push me away!" Kerry sighed, "I should have known you would never stop confusing me."

Kerry stepped out of the gazebo, and felt Michel brush past her. "I'll see you before the sun comes up. There's something I need to do."

Kerry shivered, and Michel didn't bother to try to reassure her that he wasn't going to do what she thought he was doing. Michel needed to feed, and Kerry didn't want to get on the wrong side of him.

o.O

Kerry was gazing up at the stars again once Michel left. She didn't know how long she was out there for, but she heard a voice calling her name. She looked around to find the source of the voice, but couldn't track it down. She turned around and almost jumped back a few feet.

It was Jay, but for some reason he was looking very gaunt and pale, almost ghostlike. "Kerry…" he rasped, and almost fell on top of her. It took almost all her strength to catch him before he collapsed completely. She couldn't get him all the way up the steps of the gazebo, but she sat him down and leaned his head against her on the steps.

"Hey, are you all right? You're not looking too hot." Kerry tipped his head up so she could see him better. He looked like he had just come back from the grave. "Do you need anything? It looks like I should get you to a doctor. Can you make it to my car? Come on."

She grabbed his arm gently because she thought he might break if she grasped him harder. However, she underestimated how weak he was. Jay grasped her wrist and yanked it away from his arm, and almost made her arm pop out of her socket while doing so.

"Hey! You don't have to be such an ass about it! A simple 'no' would suffice." She tried to pull her wrist away, but it was like he had it in a death grip. He held it almost as tight as Michel could. "Let go!"

He released her suddenly in order to clutch his head with both hands. "I'm sorry, Kerry… but it's just that I'm so…hungry."

"Huh? Well if it's food you want, I can take you upstairs and give you something to eat." Kerry was confused, but she was getting up and trying to pull him to his feet so she could bring him up into the building. Somehow, Jay pinned her arms behind her back with one hand and arched her neck toward him with is other hand.

"Real food won't work; I already tried," he leaned closer, his lips almost on her neck. "I met your mother on my way out of your room yesterday. She asked me if I knew you, because she was trying to find you. I wondered to myself, 'how is it that her own mother doesn't know how she is?' and I asked her. So she told me about how she hasn't seen you around in a bunch of years." Kerry was struggling, but he held on to her without shaking. "I told her where to find you because I thought that a mother should be able to see her daughter. To thank me…well let's just say, we became real good friends really fast. And she gave me a present because she saw I was upset about something," he smiled. "I didn't exactly realize how good a present it was until I saw how fast I could move and how strong I could be. Then I learned about the little side effects. Food doesn't agree with my stomach any more and I have an extremely weird urge to just drink blood."

Kerry was struggling as hard as she could by this point. "Let me go, creep! I thought you were better than this!"

"You said you would give me some food. I think I'll take you up on that offer." He kissed her neck lightly before puncturing her skin with his teeth.

Kerry immediately felt herself get tired. She still struggled, but only because adrenaline was keeping her going. She opened her mouth to scream, but only a few gasps came out. "Let go…" she whispered.

Then all of a sudden, she felt his teeth rip out of her throat as if something knocked him out of the way at full speed. Kerry collapsed to the ground and watched as two blurs moved across her field of vision. While the two of them were caught in a deadly dance, Kerry felt a pair of strong arms pick her up. A reassuring voice told her that she was okay and that they were going back up and that no one would attack her any more.

o.O

…**So? Reviews?**


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